Soft-tread horseshoe



No. s07,|90. Patented July 12, [898.

1. PATRICK.

SOFT TREAD HORSESHOE.

(Application filed Apr. 16, 1897.)

(No Model.)

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 1H I U/ I JOHN PATRICK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SOFT-TREAD HORSESHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,190, dated July 12, 1898.

Application filed April 1 6, 1 8 9 '7.

To all whom, it may concern-.-

Be itknown that 1, JOHN PATRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Horseshoes, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to horseshoes, and has for its object to provide a new and improved horseshoe, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a view of a horseshoe embodying my invention as seen from beneath; Fig. 2 is a similar View showing a modified construction. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. i is an end elevation of the shoe. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of one form of construction.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

The horseshoe proper, A, is made in any of the usual forms and is provided with the slot A, preferably extending completely along its exterior surface. This slot communicates with an enlarged opening or recess formed in the body of the shoe. A strip or piece of elastic orother materiaLB is shapedso as to fit into the recess A and is provided with a projecting part B, which projects through the slot A and which is interposed between the shoe and the ground when the shoe is in position on the horses foot. This piece B may be made continuous, as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be made up of a series of sections, as shown, for example, in Fig. 2. These sections may be of any desired length, and the piece 13 may be made of any desired material. If, for example, it is made of some material like rawhide, I prefer to stamp out the part 13 in sections, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and then insert these sections in the opening at one end of the shoe.

Some suitable holding device C is used to hold the piece B in position and prevent it from being removed from the shoe.

The piece 13 may be constructed in any desired manner. As illustrated in the drawings, the ends of the shoe project slightly beyond the slot A, and the holding-piece C consists of an angular piece the two parts of which are at an angle to each other, one part adapted to cover the end of the recess or slot Serial No. 632,449. (No model.)

and the other part adapted to engage the proj ectin g part of the shoe, the whole constructed so asto hold the strip B in place.

The shoe is fastened to the foot in any suitable manneras, for example, by means of nails which pass through the holes D.

It is of course evident that my device may be varied in form and construction without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the construction shown.

The use and operation of myinvention are as follows: When the ordinary iron shoes are used upon horses, the horses feet are injured by the jar caused by contact with rocks and other hard substances and become sore, thereby reducing the efiiciency of the horse and injuring him in many other ways. This is especially true of horses used in cities. The object of my invention is to obviate these difficulties. The part B is attached to the shoe so as to come in contact with the ground, and thereby take up the shock or jar and prevent injury to the horses feet. This cushion may be placed in position after the shoe is attached to the horses foot, and may be renewed at anytime without removing the shoe. Vhen a continuous cushion is used, it is inserted in the opening of the shoe at one end and forced therealon g until the desired length of cushion is obtained. \Vhen the holdingpieces C C are in place, the cushion cannot be removed, and the parts are so constructed that no partof the shoe makes contact with the ground. It will therefore be seen that I have here a simple and efiicient device for obviating the effects accompanying the use of the ordinary horseshoe. It will also be seen that in this construction the cushion is held in place without the aid of folding devices added onto the shoe, as the shape of the recess is such that when the cushion is in place the shoe properholds it in place. The holding devices shown in the drawings are simply to prevent longitudinal movements of the cushion, and thereby insure its being held in place at all times.

The rubber cushion is particularly adapted to be used after the horses feet have become sore, as it takes up the jar and gives the feet a chance to become cured, While the rawhide cushion is particularly adapted to be used upon horses with sound feet to prevent their feet from becoming sore.

I claim 1. A horseshoe comprising a shoe proper made of one piece and provided on its exposed surface with a slot, an enlarged recess within the body of the shoe and comm unicating with said slot, a cushion provided with a part adapted to fit said recess, said cushion provided with an enlarged projecting part adapted to extend beyond said slot, the part adapted to fit said recess being of such size that the cushion can be inserted into and removed from the recess while the shoe is in position, and a removable holding device at each end of said recess adapted to hold said cushion in position.

2. A horseshoe comprising a shoe proper provided on its exposed face with a slot, an enlarged recess within the body of the shoe communicating with said slot, a cushion inserted in said recess and provided with an enlarged projecting part, and a holding device associated with the shoe to hold the cushion against longitudinal motion, said holding device free from said cushion.

3. A horseshoe comprising a shoe proper having a slot extending along the outer face thereof, an enlarged recess communicating with said slot, a cushion inserted in said recess and provided with a projecting part which projects through said slot, said cushion composed of a series of pieces of rawhide placed in proximity to each other so as to form a substantial continuous cushion-holding device engaging the two end pieces of rawhide so as to hold the whole series in position.

i. A horseshoe comprising a shoe proper, a slot extending along the outer face of said shoe, an enlarged recess in the body of said shoe, a cushion shaped to fit said recess, and provided with a projecting part which extends through the slot, in the face of the shoe; said cushion adapted to be inserted into the end of said recess and forced therealong, the ends of said shoe projecting slightly beyond said slot, and a holding-piece adapted to be attached to said projecting parts and provided with an angular piece adapted to cover the ends of said recess so as to hold the cushion in place.

Signed at Chicago this 13th day of April, 1807.

J OIlN PATRICK. Witnesses:

DONALD M. CARTER, HOMER L. KRAFT. 

